Waves Audio has released L4 Ultramaximizer, an adaptive limiter for modern music production.
Powered by next-generation technology, the L4 Waves claims ‘a forward-thinking take on limiting, raising the bar for modern loudness tools’. The new plug-in delivers competitive loudness levels for streaming, while also preserving musicality, offering greater low-end impact, enhanced dynamics and transient punch, and a more vibrant overall sound.
‘In the 1990s and 2000s, the Waves L1 and L2 became industry-standard tools for peak limiting and level maximisation, setting the reference point for loudness among scores of legendary records – but loudness was yesterday’s battle,’ the company says.
‘Today, music needs more. Contemporary sound is deeper, bigger and more dynamic. Artists grab attention with more than just volume – they do it with nuance, impact and feel. A true limiter should enhance the musicality of a track, not simply reduce its dynamic range, and that’s exactly what the L4 achieves. It’s not merely a limiter, it’s a complete rethink of how loudness enhances musical expression.’
Engineered for precision across a wide array of production styles, the L4 offers five new limiting algorithms, with the understanding that every song is different: Modern, Aggressive, Smooth, Safe, and the L2 sound as well.
Ith Adaptive Clipper & Releae, Clipping and Release settings are automatically tailored to the content by the plug-in. Once applied, users can fine-tune the relative levels in real time, shaping the transient impact and overall feel to suit a track.
Upward Compression is inspired by the classic Waves MV2 plug-in, and is designed to enhance low-level details and add density. When combined with optimised limiter settings, the L4 delivers greater loudness and heightened dynamic impact.
With Ultra-Low Latency, the L4 is a versatile workhorse, equally at home in tracking, mixing and mastering, and capable of handling most demanding back-to-back sessions. It’s also live performance-ready, integrating with Waves eMotion LV1 and LV1 Classic mixing consoles, SuperRack SoundGrid, SuperRack Performer.
LUFS Metering allows users to prepare a track for streaming with precision. Featuring both short-term and long-term LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) metering, the L4 provides accurate level monitoring throughout a workflow, ensuring songs are optimised for streaming platforms.
Key features:
- Peak limiter – designed for a new era of loudness.
- Brand-new sound, optimized for modern music production.
- Five unique limiting algorithms: Modern, Aggressive, Smooth, Safe, L2.
- Ultra-low latency performance.
- True Peak limiting for precise control.
- Two GUI modes: Graph and Classic.
- Inspired by the iconic simplicity of L1 & L2 limiters.
- Adaptive Clipping & Release controls to shape transient impact.
- Upward compression for enhanced loudness in quieter passages.
- Advanced features: LUFS metering, upsampling, dithering, delta monitoring, stereo link.
- One-click gain match feature for instant A/B comparison.
The L4 Ultramaximizer has been added to the Waves Ultimate plug-in subscription.